The game of chess is one of the most popular board games. Typically the game is played on a flat, square, board divided into a plurality of square playing spaces in alternating colors. As a traditional game, the configuration of the game board of chess has not changed significantly over the years, and similarly the playing pieces and the rules governing their movement are basically the same as they were in the distant past. Although the traditional game of chess has been enjoyed by countless people, a substantial number of players enjoy new developments and variations to the game. In recent years, a variety of chess-type games have been introduced. Due to the divergent personal tastes of different players, however, the enthusiasm given to the chess-type games differs from player to player. A chess-type game may appeal to some players but not others. Likewise, some players may like certain aspects of a chess-type game but find other aspects of the same game unattractive.
For example, many chess-type games use reduced sets of playing pieces or smaller boards for the purpose of reducing the complexity of the game and the time required to finish the game, so that the game will be more attractive to beginners. One example is U.S. Pat. No. 4,927,157 to Riihiluoma, which discloses a chess-type game which uses a two-level game board. The game is significantly simplified as compared to the traditional game such that each player has only four playing pieces. Although the two-layered construction of the board is somewhat interesting because it adds some three-dimensional look to the game, the two levels are not well integrated in terms of the movement of playing pieces between the two levels. Some players may also consider the game to be overly simplified and therefore to have lost the flavor of the traditional chess game. Indeed, many experienced players find simplified chess-type games, or even the traditional chess game, not to be challenging enough, and would like to modify the chess game to make it more challenging and exciting to play.
Some modified chess games have been developed to address the unsatisfactory aspect of the traditional chess game that it can be played by only two players at a time, and other players who want to play have to wait for their own games. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,666 to Adams discloses a four-player board, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,209,488 to Kimball discloses a three-player board. The two games use flat, two dimensional boards which are variations of the traditional square board, with added sides to accommodate more than two sets of playing pieces. This multiple-player aspect is welcomed by players who often feel impatient to wait for their games. Many players also enjoy the challenge of playing against more than one opponent at the same time. The added sides on the modified boards, however, form disrupted peripheries which hinder the movement of the playing pieces.
Some modified games have added playing pieces not found in the traditional chess game. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,332 to Hessnice discloses a chess-type game which has a jester piece. The function of the jester piece is rather passive, and the addition of such a piece does not significantly change the nature of the game or transform the game to what might be considered another generation of chess.